Happy Father's Day!

To all you dads out there, Happy Father's Day! Enjoy the day with your loved ones!

TTM Success: Bernie Allen

Yesterday I came home from work, and there was a white SASE waiting for me. Yes! I hadn't gotten one in awhile. I knew it was an old one because the stamp was a holiday ornament design. It was post-marked from Indiana, and I had no idea who it might be.

Turns out, it was Bernie Allen! The former Yankee signed my 1973 Topps in about six months time. He signed it in blue Sharpie, and it looks great.

Thanks, Mr. Allen!

Seeing Red

Gary Sanchez is such a good hitter that he makes opposing pitchers see red. I wonder if they seem him the way he looks in this card. It’s a 2011 Heritage Minors Red tint variation, numbered to 699.

I’ve been wanting it for a while, and a BIN of $1 + free shipping showed up, so I pounced. He’s only 19, but he’s hitting .299 with 10 HRs and 48 RBIs in A-ball. He’ll soon supplant Jesus Montero in Yankees fans’ hearts as the next big time catching prospect known more for his bat than his defense.

Trade with reader Zach

I always enjoy finding a new trading partner. Zach recently commented on an Adam Jones relic that I posted about from 2012 Archives. He offered up a 2011 A&G Nick Swisher bat relic. I don’t have any Swisher relics, so I accepted in an easy one for one deal.

Of course, Zach threw in a few other Yanks, including this 2012 Archive Michael Pineda. It’s my first Pineda in a Yanks uniform. I just wish he was pitching this year.

Thanks, Zach!

Congrats to A-Rod!

I can't imagine many will read this due to the title of the post and the player mentioned, but a congratulations goes out to Alex Rodriguez for tying Lou Gehrig for the career grand slams record. Each went deep with bases loaded 23 times, two more than Manny Ramirez.

The timing of the HR was much needed as well. With the Yanks down 4-0 after mustering nothing off of Mike Minor, Jonny Venters was brought in. He promptly loaded the bases, and Alex hit a 3-2 laser beam to left. The ball couldn't have been much more than 20 feet high the entire way and snuck over the fence into a Yankee fan's hat.

Congrats to A-Rod on this historic blast, and I look forward to seeing #24.

Tino Tuesday #44: 1998 Donruss Longball Leaders #3

For the 44th installment of Tino Tuesdays, I wanted to really highlight the #44. The #44 for me not only means "Reggie Jackson" and "Jim Brown," but it also is a number that represents Tino Martinez. In 1997, he hit a career high 44 HRs. That season was amazing to watch on a personal level, and it really solidified him as my favorite player.

As a result of 44 HRs, Tino really found his way into a lot of 1998 insert sets. This one was one of my favorites. It's from 1998 Donruss Longball leaders. The card is individually #'d to 5000. The set includes guys like Griffey, Thomas, Bonds, and Piazza, so it was cool to see Tino recognized in this group.

The design is nice. The card is a textured foil, and the scale on the right hand side shows how many HRs the player hit the previous year. I love how 61 was still the magic number of course. I miss that being the magic number.

It's not my most rare or valuable Tino, but it's certainly one of my favorites and a mainstay in my collection.

Trade loot from Jaybarkerfan's Draft

Jaybarkerfan’s First Annual Trade Bait Draft took about a month to complete. Not to be outdone, it’s taken me about two months to post about it.

My first pick in the draft netted me an Eddie Murray RC. While it is a trade bait draft, I may keep this card. I’ve always admired it, just never imagined I’d own it.

Next up, a sweet on card auto of former Blue Jay prospect Chip Cannon. He had a few really good years in the minors, but nothing after 2009. Not sure what happened to him.

I also nabbed a game used jersey of Andruw Jones.

Here is the rest of my haul. It’s all for trade, so let me know if there’s anything that strikes your fancy.

As he has been known to do, Wes threw in a few Yanks for me, including this sweet Hideki Matsui jersey. It’s my first relic of Godzilla.